


More Beautiful than the Sky

by Cait_Sidhe



Series: Adventures with Luna [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Amazon Jungle, Bisexuality, Exploring, F/F, First Kiss, Girls Kissing, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Locker Room, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Pre-Relationship, Quidditch, Trees, kissing in a tree
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 20:29:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20841557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cait_Sidhe/pseuds/Cait_Sidhe
Summary: Luna finds Ginny after a quidditch match and informs her that they're going to look for a legendary creature called a Snorkack together. Orion, her quidditch coach, insists Ginny go, claiming that on the journey she'll find the truth not just about the Snorkack but also about what her heart truly desires.





	More Beautiful than the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> This is a submission for Hermione's Nook's Love-for-All fest. The story must be themed around a quote; the one I used is by Winston Churchill: "The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is."
> 
> Note that the "series" this is part of is all stand-alone stories, so no need to read the others (although some may briefly reference others).

“Phew. What a match!” Ginny exclaimed, happy yet exhausted, as her team headed into the locker room. The Hollyhead Harpies had won yet another Quidditch match. “Nice job, team!”

“It’s all thanks to you!” a teammate-- a newbie whom had been recruited from Castelbruxo-- told her. “That last shot was brilliant.”

“I couldn’t have done it without your assist, though!”

“Nah, that was nothing,” the teammate blushed.

“Hey, don’t be modest! You made an excellent debut-- own it!”

“Ginny,” another teammate said, tapping her on the shoulder with their broom. “I think there’s someone here for you.”

“Someone here?” Ginny asked, confused. No one was allowed in the locker rooms except for the team. It was probably Harry, she thought, as he could pretty much go anywhere he wanted thanks to fame and an auror badge. Ginny rolled her eyes. Harry hadn’t yet gotten over their break-up, and had been pestering her about it. But what had he expected? They had tried for a few years, but they simply were both too busy to have a successful relationship. He was always out doing auror stuff, and she was constantly travelling with her team. She needed someone whom she could see more than once every few weeks-- and so did he, even if he didn’t realize that yet. 

“Yep. She seems really excited about something, too.”

“She?” Ginny turned, even more confused now. If it wasn’t Harry, who could it be? “Luna!” she proclaimed with joy, her eyes lighting up. “I haven’t seen you in ages!” Ginny ran up to the girl, giving her a big hug. “How did you get in here?”

“Hm? I just walked in…” Luna replied, clearly confused at the question. “Um. Ginny, you’re hugging me a little tightly…”

Ginny blushed, moving away. “Sorry. It’s just been so long! You look beautiful. How’s Rolph?” Luna had been dating Newt Scamander’s grandson, which was perfect for her, considering he was a magizoologist and she loved creatures.

Luna look down in sadness. “That didn’t work out… he didn’t believe in the Snorkack or Nargles or Wrackspurts…”

Ginny was unsure how to reply to that. Of course he wouldn’t-- those things were nonexistent! “I’m sorry to hear that,” Ginny said, settling on a generic response.

“Yes.. oh!” Luna’s eyes lit up. “That’s why I’m here, actually! I have a lead on where a Snorkack might be. But I don’t want to go alone. Rolph refused to go, so we broke up. My father wants to go, but he’s currently working on a major Quibbler article about the Minister being a polyjuiced vampire. But we need to go look while the trail is hot! So, I decided that you’ll be going with me.”

“Wait, what? You… decided?”

“Yes. We leave as soon as you’re packed.”

“Luna, I can’t do that. I have practice, and we have another game soon.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay-- I already cleared it with your captain!”

Ginny stared at her friend in disbelief. “You already… cleared it… with Orion?”

“Yes, he said it would be good training and would help open your mind.”

“That… does sound like something he would say,” Ginny admitted. Their captain could be almost as eccentric and sporadic as Luna. Once, he had them stand one-legged on their brooms while being attacked by pixies, and wouldn’t give them a break until they could all at once stay completely still for two minutes straight! The secret to that had been to link hands for stability-- he claimed it was an exercise in creativity, because on the field you had to think of the less obvious solutions to things to throw off the other team as well as work together to make those non-obvious tactics work. The advice had actually been effective and led them to quite a few victories, but Ginny really wished he could be more straightforward about things rather than turning everything into a puzzle.

“Then it’s settled! We leave in an hour.”

“But, where are we going? And how do you even know where it supposedly is?”

“Oh, the Nargles told me,” Luna said with a dismissive wave, as though it was completely common to be spoken to by fictional creatures. Maybe they should look into getting her help. “I then confirmed it with some research of my own. There should be one in--”

“Hey girls!” Orion entered the locker room, carrying the case of Quidditch balls.

“Hello,” Luna said. “Ginny, I’m going to go pack your things. I’ll meet you at your house.” Before Ginny could reply, Luna had apparated away.

“Orion!” Ginny proclaimed angirly. “Did you really approve me to take a trip with Luna?”

“Of course. It’ll be good for you. You’ve been very tense lately; you need to learn how to go with the flow. Plus, finding a legendary creature is quite the opportunity!”

“The Snorkack doesn’t exist. You know that… don’t you?” Ginny suddenly wasn’t so sure if he did.

Orion merely chuckled. “Just because no one has found one yet doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on.”

“Things aren’t always obvious at first, but you’ll come to realize the truth.”

“You have to be joking.”

“On contraire. You know in your heart it is true.”

Ginny wasn’t certain they were still discussing the Snorkack. “But--”

"As a great muggle once said, ‘The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.’ I trust you will discover the truth… if not about the Snorkack, then about what your heart truly desires."

“About… my heart?” Ginny asked, confused. She surely had no idea what Orion was talking about now. 

“Go. Go search for the Snorkack with your… ‘friend’.”

Ginny just sighed, resigned to never knowing what the obtuse man was trying to say, as was often the case. She grabbed her Quidditch bag and apparated to her apartment to meet Luna, who had probably somehow found a way inside despite the wards.

*******

“What are you talking about, Luna?” Harry asked, as Ginny appeared in the apartment. “That’s utterly ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous?” Ginny asked. “And what are you doing here, Harry? If this is about getting back together, I told you, it just won’t work. We can stay friends, but--”

“Relax, Gin, I just wanted to see if I left my broom care kit here. What’s ridiculous is that Luna claims you’re going to the Amazon with her to search for a Snorkack!”

“The Amazon, huh? Well, I suppose. No one actually told me where we’re looking, but Luna asked me and Orion insists I need a vacation so I figured, ‘why not?’.”

Harry sighed. “You’re not forgetting the last trip we took with Luna to search for it, are you? And those searches for other creatures she dragged us on?”

“Of course not. But, how bad could it be compared to those?”

“And you’re not around to bring danger,” Luna added.

Harry glared at Luna. “I do not bring danger. Not since Voldemort was defeated, at least.”

“If you say so,” Luna said dismissively. “Ginny, your things are packed. We should go.”

“Luna, about that other thing you said…” Harry began, glancing at Ginny.

“Oh I assure you, it is true. You’ll see. Ginny, I will meet you at the International Floo.” With that, Luna vanished into thin air.

“What other thing?” Ginny asked with suspicion.

Harry shook his head. “You know what, nevermind. It’s nothing.” He shrugged. “Just Luna being Luna.”

“Well, alright then. Speaking of Luna, I need to go find her.” Ginny grabbed her bag, a little back pack that magically expanded to carry a lot more. “Just, find your broom kit and leave.” With that, Ginny also vanished.

Harry stared at the spot Ginny had been, pondering what Luna had told him. “Luna can’t be serious, can she?” he whispered. “We broke up because of our schedules, right? No other reason. Definitely not because… well, Ginny couldn't possibly… prefer girls… could she?”

*******

A fortnight later, Ginny and Luna found themselves deep in the Amazonian jungle. Luna had what she claimed to be a magical map, but it seemed to be leading them in circles. Luna seemed to have infinite stamina, but Ginny felt herself growing more and more tired each day. She was sick of sleeping in trees, magical sleeping bags notwithstanding; if only they could use a tent! However, in the thick jungle, that proved impossible. Luna had insisted they wear explorer outfits that resembled those seen in muggle films, complete with beige hats. Luna still had her hat, but Ginny’s had been stolen by an ambitious monkey-- the wildlife here was very brazen and curious, unafraid of humans as most had never encountered such before. However, so far no magical creatures had been discovered, to both their disappointment. Luna was of course disappointed most about the Snorkack, but Ginny, still fairly certain the creature didn’t exist, had been hoping they’d at least see something magical, possibly even a Caipora or Curupira. Even a Fire Slug or Salamander would do at this point.

“Hey, Ginny, I think I see a path over there!”

“No, I think we’ve gone that way already…” Ginny replied exasperatedly.

“No no, it’s the right one, I can feel it!” Luna grabbed Ginny’s hand and pulled her towards the path. 

Ginny gave in and followed the girl, still holding her hand. Ginny found herself blushing, not wanting to let go; it was strange, she thought, as they’d held hands like this plenty of times before as kids, with Ginny always needing to drag a distracted Luna places, although it was the other way around this time. Maybe that was why it felt different.

“Look! There’s something ahead!” Luna proclaimed with joy. “It’s a Snorkack, I know it!”

“What? No, Luna, that can’t---” Ginny stopped her sentence short with disbelief. The thing ahead of them was partly concealed by leaves, but it definitely wasn’t something she’d ever seen nor read about. Could it truly be a Snorkack?

“Come on, we’re going to lose it!” Luna let go of Ginny and pulled a large camera from her bag.

“Wait, Luna,” Ginny whispered, grabbing her arm to stop her from charging it. “It’ll think you’re attacking if you run in like that. Approach slowly and quietly.”

“Oh, good call,” Luna whispered back.

The two girls crept along the underbrush, hoping the creature hadn’t noticed them.

Unfortunately, it had. As they approached, the creature slinked away, but turned to look at them, wary yet curious. It was shrouded in shadow, but definitely resembled the sketches of a Snorkack that filled Luna’s field journal. The girls approached again, only to yield the same result, this time with the Snorkack darting into a tree like a large squirrel.

The two girls cautiously scrambled up the tree in pursuit, following the occasional swish of tail, but when they reached the top, nothing was there. Luna and Ginny looked around, but saw no hint of where the animal could have gone

The tree stood taller than most those around it, so Luna and Ginny sat on a thick upper branch, looking out across the tops of the trees in the twilight. Luna snapped a few photos, then levitated and rotated the camera to get a photo of the two girls together.

“It really is beautiful here,” Ginny commented, enthralled by the sight of the green sea of leaves, moss, and vines spreading before them, tinted slightly orange in the glow of a sun that had just moved below the horizon. Above them in a moonless sky, there were already some stars peeking out, unhindered by artificial lighting as they were in cities.

Luna leaned sideways, resting her head against Ginny’s shoulder. “Too bad we didn’t find the Snorkack though,” she lamented. 

“We’ll just have to keep looking, then,” Ginny assured Luna. “We’ll find one.” 

Luna shook her head. “No, now that it knows we’re onto it, I’m sure it will have fled elsewhere.”

Ginny frowned slightly. “I thought there was more than one,” she commented.

“Yes. In the past there were many. But today there are very few left, which is why they’re so difficult to find. They are loners, and very transient, which is why when a hint of one appears you need to look right away.”

“And you’re determined to find one?”

“Mhmm.” Lunna nodded against Ginny’s shoulder, putting them slightly off-balance; Ginny put her arm around the girl’s shoulders to stabilize them.

“Do you find hints of them often?”

“Oh, not at all. But I always keep my ears open for any rumors.”

“Well, count me in if you find another hint of it,” Ginny decided. She had become just as interested in finding the thing as Luna was, after catching that unexpected glimpse. Yet even if they hadn’t seen it, Ginny would happily go on a journey with Luna again, regardless of if they pursued something fictional or not. Ginny hadn’t felt this comfortable with someone in a long while, not even with Harry, whom she theoretically had been living with. She’d go anywhere with Luna, Ginny realized.

Luna lifted her head, beaming at Ginny. “Really? You’ll go with me again?”

Ginny smiled back in return. “Of course, Luna… you know, I really enjoyed this time with you. This trip was worth it, at least for me, even if we didn’t acquire proof of the Snorkack in the end.”

Luna rested against Ginny again. “I agree… oh, those stars are beautiful!”

Ginny followed Luna’s gaze to the sky above them. “Yes, they are.” While they were talking, the sun had completely set, leaving them under a blanket of sparkling sky, the dense streak of Milky Way clearly visible. Ginny smiled, both at the sky and the pleasantness of Luna resting against her. This was a moment she wished could last forever... and someone she wished she could spend forever with. Suddenly, Ginny realized what Orion had been talking about, how she would discover certain truths on this journey… he hadn’t meant the Snorkack at all, rather...

“Ginny? Your heart is beating awfully fast…”

“Hmm? Ah, I suppose it is…” Ginny’s stomach did a backflip. The moment felt right, but was she ready to take such a chance? No, it wasn’t taking a chance; there was no risk involved. She was absolutely certain Luna could feel it, too.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Ginny very aware of her heart and Luna humming a song while listening to it.

Ginny took a deep breath. “Hey, Luna?” 

“Hmm?” Luna sat up a bit, looking wide-eyed at Ginny. 

Ginny smiled softly. “I can think of something even more beautiful than the sky.” She moved slightly closer to Luna, eyes locked on hers.

Luna took a breath and breathed out. It smelled sweet, like the sap from the tree they’d sampled earlier. “And that is?” Luna leaned forwards slightly too, briefly glancing down at Ginny’s lips, centimeters away. Both girls’ hearts were racing.

“You,” Ginny whispered, closing the gap between them, as well as her eyes, wrapping her arms tighter around Luna, who returned in kind. Their hearts calmed.

It was a fairly chaste kiss, with just a tiny flick of tongue, lasting no longer than a dozen seconds, but the emotion it conveyed was stronger than any either had felt before. They drew apart, eyes locked again, small smiles reaching such.

Luna turned, cuddling up against Ginny’s side once more, arms locked around the girl’s waist. Ginny kept one arm around Luna, the other moving to hold the girl’s hand in her lap.

“Ginny?” Luna said quietly, after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“Yeah?”

“You’re more beautiful than the sky, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I may flesh this out into something longer one day; there's certainly room to do so. But as the fest is centered around relationships, I figured it'd be best not to have a more detailed adventure detracting from that, hence why it skipped from leaving for the trip right to the end of it. It feels rather strange to me to write something so short.
> 
> I've also never written any female romance scenes before, nor read much of them, so I hope I did it justice!


End file.
